Meet Laura Wooten, she is 97 years old and a poll worker in New Jersey. For 80 years now, she has been a powerful advocate for democracy in urging people to casts their votes. The National Newspaper Publishers Association honored her with a Leadership Award and New Jersey Chapter of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has also honored her with Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lamenting on the drop in voter turnout, she is currently set out on a campaign to get more people to vote especially the young. “I encourage the young people that they are American citizens, and they should go out and vote,” Wooten said. “The only change you’re going to see is if you vote. You can’t complain if you don’t vote.”

She also made mention of the fact that, the last set of people to be able to cast a vote in America were black women and so, they should be the first to always fulfill this civic duty so that, the efforts of those who fought for this right will not be wasted.

President Obama, being black was a dream come true to Lawra Wooten and she has an even bigger dream as she looks forward to that day when a black woman will be president. Her dreams are not a fairy tale, all it takes is casting that vote, for that vote is the instrument of change.